(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to tree stands utilized by hunters and sportsman and, more particularly, to a tree stand having an improved tree fastening means therefor.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
A wide variety of portable tree stands are currently in use. Outdoorsmen such as campers, naturalists and hunters carry the tree stands into wooded areas and mount the seat to a tree at a suitable height. The tree stands are mounted at a high elevation on a tree to give the outdoorsman a wide field of view while at the same time shielding him from detection by forest wildlife. Tree stands can also be used to provide comfortable and convenient seating at a normal chair height.
Conventional tree stands are formed of a lightweight unitary construction to permit the outdoorsman to easily transport the stand into and out of the woods. However, in many cases, the outdoorsman has a favorite spot and will leave the stand in that location. Unfortunately, people being people, it is equally common to have tree stands left in the woods to be stolen by other outdoorsmen. Furthermore, it's also often desirable to move the tree stand from one location to the other but this action requires complete removal of the stand from the tree and relocation on the second tree.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,143, issued to Fisher, provides for a weight bearing device adapted to support objects upon vertically extending pole-shaped objects such as wooden poles and trees. The device comprises an anchoring strap and a forked unit fitted with a leveraged support frame. The strap is mounted at a pivotal site along the support frame. In use, the penetrating tips are aligned onto the pole-shaped object with the strap being looped about the pole and adjustably anchored onto the mount under sufficient tension to allow the major longitudinal axis of the fork unit to extend upwardly and outwardly therefrom. By downward force onto the support frame, the penetrating tips will swing inwardly and upwardly about the pivotal site causing the strap to grippingly tighten about the object and the tips to penetrate the object and therefore firmly anchor the weight bearing device thereto.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,475,627, issued to Eastridge, teaches a combination campstool and tree stand which has a chain and wedge bar combination that creates a stable mounting on a tree. Pivoting of the stand away from the tree increases tension in a chain and causes a wedge bar to engage a surface of a tree.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,792, issued to Wilson, is an example of a tree fastener for a tree stand having a continuously adjustable bolt and nut hooked in a tightening relationship with a flexible band such as a link chain.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,756, issued to D'Acquisto, discloses a portable tree stand for hunters which includes a one-piece supporting platform cast from a lightweight material. The grate-like pattern of the regular openings in the platform provides variable positioning support for different types of archery bows and enhances the ability of the platform to camouflage the tree stand.
However, none of the above known prior art devices provide any means for quickly attaching and detaching the stand to and from a tree which permits the stand to be removed from the tree and shifted to other trees or taken out of the woods as desired. Thus, there remains a need for a new and improved tree stand which may be removably attached to a tree and quickly reattached to a semi-permanently mounted bracket.